


Missing

by AokazuSei



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-08
Updated: 2014-01-08
Packaged: 2018-01-08 00:23:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1126149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AokazuSei/pseuds/AokazuSei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nine years have past after Rakuzan's win in the Winter Cup Finals. Kiseki no Sedai have a reunion at Akashi's home after several years without contact. It was a normal reunion, all until they noticed spaces in several pictures. What's going on?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Missing

 

**_  
-“A man isn’t truly dead until he is forgotten”-_ **

The buzzer signaled the end of the fourth quarter. Both Seirin and Rakuzan were struggling to control their erratic breathing. The score had ended with 111-110, with Rakuzan’s win.

 _The score’s quite close_ , Akashi noted before turning his attention to his former teammate. “You lost, Tetsuya.”

Snapped out of his shocked stupor, Kuroko turned to address his former captain. But, what confused the red haired man was that plastered on the bluenette’s face was a saddened smile.

“Hai, it seems you’ve won once again Akashi-kun.”

Something didn’t feel right, but before he could ask the bluenette anything more, they were told to line up and bow. The game was over, and that was the last time he ever saw Kuroko until a long time.

 

**-9 Years Later (December 20th)-**

It had been years since graduation, and everyone had moved on. Kise quit his modeling job in order to become a full time pilot. Aomine passed police academy and flew quickly up the ranks. Midorima finished medical school and became one of the most renowned doctors in Japan. Murasakibara attended culinary classes in France and returned to Japan to set up his own restaurant. Akashi took over his father’s company and managed to participate in shogi tournaments in his spare time.

It had been years since the 25 year olds had met in person, so Akashi decided to host a reunion between the Generation of Miracles. The first to arrive was Midorima, then Murasakibara. Aomine and Kise came a little after them. At first it was awkward and quiet, but everything turned back to normal after some teasing and reminiscing.

Akashi went into his room to answer a phone call, and while he was away, Kise popped into the living room holding a thick leather book.

“Look at what I found~!” The blond excitedly announced before placing it onto the table. “It’s a photo album.”

“I never thought Akashi would be the type to keep these,” Midorima thought aloud.

“Let’s go look in it,” Aomine suggested. “Maybe he keeps weird photos in there.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea Mine-chin,” Murasakibara argued. “Aka-chin might get angry if you look through his things without his permission.”

“What he doesn’t know won’t kill him,” Kise commented.

“And how do you expect him not to know about this Kise,” Midorima rebutted irritatedly.

“Know about what?”

They all turn to see Akashi in the doorway.

“Mine-chin and Kise-chin wanted to look through your album,” The chef stated. A cold sweat ran down Kise’s and Aomine’s neck as they awaited the redhead’s response.

“Then I see no reason not to,” Akashi answered. He sat down with the rest of them. “It’s been a while since I’ve looked through this.”

On the first page, there were photos of Akashi’s baby photos.

“Aw, Akashi-ichi was so cute back then,” Kise cooed.

Laughing, Aomine smirked, “Yeah, what happened?”

A deathly glare silenced the ganguro, and they continued to flip through the album. They paused the moment they saw a crimsoned haired girl around the age of 5 wearing a gothic lolita styled dress.

“I didn’t know you had a sister Akashi,” Midorima stated.

“I don’t,” Akashi answered simply. “That’s me.”

“EH?!” Kise and Aomine gasped in shocked.

“My mother always wanted a daughter, but when she couldn’t have one, she decided that dressing me up was close enough,” Akashi explained.

“I… see,” Midorima commented. “Anyway, let’s keep looking.”

They looked through several photos of Akashi’s childhood, and when they neared the end, photos of their middle school years popped up.

“Hey look, aren’t these the pictures we took during our third year at Teiko?” Kise asked.

In the photo, all five of them, glistening with sweat, were on court playing in the semi-finals ***1**. Akashi held the basketball in his hand as he instructed the others on the court.

“That’s the one that was taken after Finals in our third year,” Aomine pointed.

The five of them were lined up in a semicircle ***2** ; Midorima was adjusting his glasses, Murasakibara stifling a yawn, Akashi posing with his arms on his sides, Aomine holding up one arm in a strange position, and Kise who was stretching his arm.

Murasakibara was about to flip the page, but Kise stopped him. He furrowed his eyebrows as he pondered seriously. “Ne, isn’t there supposed to be someone else in this picture?”

“What do you mean?” Midorima asked.

“I mean, the space in between Aomine-ichi and Akashi-ichi doesn’t feel right,” Kise complained.

“Now that you mentioned it, the space does seem a bit big,” Aomine agreed.

“Maybe Kise-chi’s just remembering it wrong,” Murasakibara wondered.

“Yeah, I might be,” The blond grinned sheepishly. “Anyway, let’s keep looking.”

However, it didn’t take long until they once again stopped. The next photo that caught their attention was when they were posing in front of the camera. It was another line up ***3** , but instead, it started with Murasakibara, Midorima, Akashi, Aomine, and ended with Kise.

“The photo seems really weird,” Aomine commented nonchalantly. “Why did the cameraman leave such a wide space on the right?”

“Maybe it was a mistake,” Midorima reasoned.

Akashi was silent. There was something wrong with these photos, something that he should be worried about. Akashi flipped to the next page.

In the center was a picture of all five of them crowding around ***4**. In the bottom most left hand corner was the back of Momoi’s head.

“Ne, I think someone’s missing in this picture, Aka-chin,” Murasakibara stated as he pointed towards the middle. “Isn’t someone supposed to be here?”

Kise and Aomine looked at one another with wide eyes as if asking the latter for any explanation. Midorima and Murasakibara stared in horror at the photograph, while Akashi furrowed his eyebrows even more. He flipped to the next page.

There was another photo of the 5 of them and Momoi ***5** celebrating their victory. Midorima, Aomine, Kise, and Murasakibara stood behind Momoi and Akashi. Their eyes widened in shock.

“What’s…. going on?” Aomine managed to stutter out.

Everyone in the photo held up the peace sign. Aomine had right arm on top of Momoi while his left was wrapped around Kise’s shoulders. Kise too had his right arm around something. It wouldn’t have been that strange if there was someone actually standing there.

“Ne… Akashi-ichi, this isn’t a joke right?” Kise looked at their former captain with wide eyes.

Even Murasakibara was disturbed by the turn of events. “Why are there so many empty spaces?”

“There must be an explanation for this,” Midorima murmured to himself.

Akashi was silent the entire time. He sat there staring at the photos as if waiting for an explanation from the offending papers. Nothing came.

By the end of the day, they all left Akashi’s home confused than they ever thought they could be. After a week, they all pushed the incident into the back of their minds. Everyone did, including Akashi.

 

**-One Month Later (January 19th)-**

Piles of papers littered the desk as Akashi continued to fill them out. The door creaked open, and in came a grey haired man.

“Is there anything else I need to sign, Chihiro?” Akashi didn’t bother to look up and continued to complete the forms in an almost melodic rhythm.

“There isn’t anything else to sign for the rest of this week, Akashi-san,” Mayuzumi answered. Mayuzumi Chihiro was once Akashi’s former teammate, but once Akashi had taken over his father’s company, Mayuzumi was hired as his secretary.

There was a pregnant pause before Akashi asked, “Is there something else you need to inform me?”

“Ah, that’s right,” Mayuzumi seemed to remember the point of his trip. “May I request a leave on the last day of this month?”

“Hm… January 31st isn’t it?” Akashi asked, not even bothering to look up to see Mayuzumi confirm with a nod. “May I know the reason of your absence?”

“....I’ll be visiting a friend on that day,” Mayuzumi seemed a bit hesitant when he used the word ‘friend’. “It’s his birthday so I wish to celebrate it.”

“I see. You may have that day off,” And with a wave of his hand, he dismissed the man.

Mayuzumi thanked him, gave a curt bow, and then left the room. It was only when the door clicked, signaling that it was fully shut, that Akashi remembered something.

_Isn’t there someone I know who has their birthday on the 31st?_

 

**-January 31st-**

Walking down the streets, Akashi had decided to leave early that day. It was late afternoon, yet the streets weren’t as crowded in Tokyo as usual. It wasn’t particularly hot that day. In fact, it was slightly chilly, but he continued his peaceful stroll. A flash of teal made him halt mid-step. Wide-eyed, he turned around only to see nothing in its place.

His eyes narrowed in confusion. He could have sworn there was someone there. Shaking his head, he was about to continue until he noticed a wad of grey hair. _Maji Burger._

Mayuzumi sat in a booth next to a window drinking alone. For some unknown reason, Akashi felt compelled to speak with the man.

Entering the restaurant, Akashi made his way to the man’s table. Mayuzumi, noticing his presence, turned around to address him. “Do you want to sit down Akashi-san?”

“Don’t mind if I do,” Akashi returned before taking a seat on the opposite side. “I thought you were going to celebrate a friend’s birthday today.”

“I did earlier, but it seems he left already,” Mayuzumi stated casually before continuing to drink.

“Left?” Akashi raised a brow. “To where?”

“I don’t know, and neither did he,” The man returned simply. "Though, it seems he wanted to celebrate his birthday with someone else."

“I see,” Although Akashi thought the answer was strange, he let it go since it seemed he would get nothing else from the latter. Looking around, he noticed the several empty cups near the man. “You know, it’s unhealthy to drink that many chocolate shakes.”

Mayuzumi stopped and stared at his former captain. “I shouldn’t be the one you should tell that to, Akashi-san. Despite how small he looks, my friend could easily drink a lot more vanilla shakes than I could.”

Akashi blinked. For some reason, Mayuzumi’s mention of vanilla shakes made the redhead on the brink of remembering something.

“I better head back now,” Mayuzumi sighed loudly before standing up from his seat. He turned to stare at Akashi for a while thinking. After a few seconds, he reached into his pocket before taking something out: two black wristbands. “My friend doesn’t wear these anymore, so he gave them to me for safe keeping since he didn't have the heart to throw them away. I think it’s better if you keep them.”

After tossing the two accessories, to which Akashi caught skillfully, Mayuzumi left. There was nothing extraordinary about the bands; in fact, Akashi could easily see how old they were despite its well-kept appearance. He frowned. _Why do these seem so familiar?_

Akashi shook his mind, casting the unreasonable thoughts aside, and continued his walk. Occasionally, he would take the wristbands out and look at them. They were so nostalgic, yet he couldn’t figure out why. It was frustrating for the man.

Sighing deeply once again, he placed the bands back into his coat before inspecting his surroundings. Not a few meters away was the entrance to Seirin, a high school established 11 years ago. Compared to the other schools, this one was fairly new.

Akashi was about to walk away until another thought came to mind. _Didn’t one of us go to here?_

He stepped onto the campus, paying no heed to the emptiness. Freely exploring the site, Akashi’s feet traveled and stopped upon the entrance to the gym. He opened the door and entered only to witness a practice match between two teams.

It had been a while since he had last played or watched a game, so he didn’t mind observing the players. While he watched, he constantly criticized and praised the players in his mind. For some reason, the player who donned the jersey sporting an 11 in large font caught the redhead’s attention the most.

No, it wasn’t the player but the jersey itself. Akashi frowned and his eyebrows furrowed when he thought of something. _Who wore the 11th jersey?_

Frustrated, he stormed out of the gym. Nothing made sense to him anymore.

Who was he forgetting about? Why was he forgetting about him?

Akashi confirmed that it wasn’t only him, but everyone from Kiseki no Sedai had forgotten. After walking a few minutes, he managed to cool his head; he remembered the photographs from about a month ago. _The photographs were taken during our third year at Teiko, so it would be most likely that I could find something in there_ , he reasoned with himself.

Not a moment later, he began walking towards his old middle school. This time, he will figure out that missing person. He might even call him his little phantom, he mused as another wave of nostalgia took place.

 

**-Time Skip-**

Akashi walked out of the school, disappointed at the results. He had searched through several student files, but it became apparent that the school did not save the records of students who have graduated for more than five years.

The sun was setting by the time he was finished. No progress was made. His irritation increased when a dog barked at him near the gate. Turning around, he saw a fully grown Siberian husky. At first, he tried to ignore the canine and continue his walk, but the dog continued to follow him and bark.

He sighed loudly. It seems he won’t be able to be able to escape. Peering behind him, the dog was still there, panting and wagging its tail excitingly.

“What do you want?”

“Bark!”

“Stop following me.”

“Bark!”

 _I must be insane to try to reason with a dog_ , he thought. Akashi was about to walk away once more, until a flash of teal caught his attention. He tried to locate it only to see nothing. It wasn’t until he looked down at the dog that he noticed something nostalgic.

He kneeled down in order to meet the dog’s line of vision. The husky’s eyes were so familiar. He had light blue eyes, just like the sky, just like….

_Kuroko Tetsuya_

His eyes widened. It was as if the small chink in the dam wall had broken, and all of the memories with the bluenette flooded his mind. How could he forget someone as important as him? How could he forget the only person to make him feel that emotion?

Akashi started running. He typed in 4 different numbers, but he sent only one line before turning off his phone. “Remember Kuroko Tetsuya.”

He felt so heavy, anxious even, but he never stopped running, even when his breathing became ragged or when his legs ached. Akashi didn’t stop until he reached that person’s house: Kuroko’s house. Something was wrong, something bad.

In all nine years, ever since Rakuzan had won against Seirin, there was no sign of Kuroko. Not a phone call or a text, it was as if he never existed.

Akashi stood in front of the door, hands shaking as it hovered over the handle. He turned the door knob and opened the door. It creaked as if no one had opened it in ages. A small burst of cold air hit his face as he entered, the inside just as cold.

It was dark, dusty, and empty. For how long, he had no idea. The floorboards squeaked with every step he took.

“It took you long enough to get here.”

Surprised by the new voice, Akashi quickly turned around to see Mayuzumi behind him. Unaffected by the man’s earlier words, the redhead asked, “What are you doing here Chihiro?”

“I’m here to celebrate a friend’s birthday,” Mayuzumi answered.

“Where is Tetsuya?” Akashi growled, eyes flashing dangerously.

"So you finally remembered him," He started walking and stopped only to gesture Akashi to follow him. Mayuzumi asked apathetically. “Before I answer that question, shall I tell you a story?”

“About 26 years ago, there was a happy couple living here, a boy and a girl, no doubt. A year later, the girl became a mother, prematurely giving birth to a son. Years past, and the boy grew up to be polite and quiet. He wasn’t able to make that many friends due to his low presence-”

“What does this have to do with my question?” Akashi questioned impatiently.

“Oh my, you know it’s rude to interrupt a person who’s talking,” Mayuzumi chided passively. “By the time I finish with the story, there’ll be other questions more important than that.”

Akashi glared at the man, but said nothing else. Taking his silence as an agreement, Mayuzumi continued. “He went to middle school and joined the basketball club because he enjoyed it. However, he lacked the talent and would always try to improve by practicing in the 4th gym. And there, he found his first friend in years. It wasn’t long before he befriended other members of the same basketball team. He even fell in love.”

“Love?” Akashi interrupted. The thought of someone having Kuroko’s affections made him jealous.

Surprised, Mayuzumi stopped walked. “Could it be that you didn’t know about this at all?”

“I was not aware that Tetsuya had harbored feelings for someone,” He admitted.

Mayuzumi stared at his former captain in disbelief. “He liked you, dumbass.”

“What?” He surprised at both the insult and the new information.

“I can’t believe how dense you are sometimes,” Mayuzumi sighed. “Well, even if you know now, it’s far too late.”

“What do you mean?” Akashi asked.

“Later in his first year, his parents both died in a car accident, leaving him alone with no relatives,” Akashi’s eyes widened, but Mayuzumi continued on. “He thought everything would be fine, so he didn’t tell anyone about it. A year passed, and he attended his third year in middle school. However, nothing turned out right.”

Mayuzumi stopped and stared right into Akashi’s heterochromatic eyes. “His friends changed one by one. They stopped caring about basketball and him. Living on his own was rough, and it didn’t help that his so called friends betrayed their friendship. He hoped that they would change. He asked the person he loved to not hold back against his childhood friend. That ended in a disaster.”

Guilt. That was all he could register. He lowered his head while Mayuzumi continued.

“That night, when he walked home by himself, a car was speeding.”

Akashi widened his eyes at the impending statement.

“It was a hit and run. Kuroko died alone, bleeding on the floor.”

“If he’s dead, then how was it possible for us to play in Winter Cup finals?” Akashi rebutted.

“I’m sure you know how the old tale goes. A person dies while still having lingering regrets or affections, something like that,” Mayuzumi shrugged. “But, you should know what he is now, don’t you?”

“A ghost,” Akashi answered. “Where is Tetsuya?”

Mayuzumi sighed. “So you didn’t see him at all? Kuroko was with you for the whole day.”

“What?” He looked around to see if he find the bluenette.

“I’m sure you saw flashes of blue, haven’t you?” Akashi’s eyes widened, confirming Mayuzumi’s hypothesis. “Then it might be possible for you to speak with him before he leaves.”

“What do you mean leave?” Akashi demanded.

“What? Did you expect ghosts to live forever?” Mayuzumi asked incredulously. “He’s been a ghost for about 10 years, Akashi-san. He should have been gone years ago, but he forced himself to stay. Every day that drags on makes him so exhausted, yet he keeps waiting, for _you_. Do you really want him to stay any longer?”

Akashi hesitated to answer back. Kuroko had waited that long for them. He believed in them, yet all they did was forget him as if he never existed. All he did was hurt him. Did he have any right to see him anymore?

But, Kuroko was waiting for him. Shouldn’t that mean that he should at least see him? He clenched his fist before looking at Mayuzumi and with a determined tone, he asked, “Where is Tetsuya?”

“Why can’t you see me, Akashi-kun? I’m right behind you.”

Wide eyed, Akashi turned around to see Kuroko standing behind him. He was a little bit older, paler too, but other than that, he was the same Kuroko that he knew 9 years ago. Kuroko seemed a bit shocked, but it was soon replaced by a slight smile.

“I didn’t think that you would be able to see or hear me again,” Kuroko whispered. “It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, Akashi-kun.”

“Tetsuya,” Akashi spoke his name in a low whisper, incredulous. He didn’t register his next movements until he had the bluenette in his arms.

“A-Akashi-kun?!” Kuroko was just as surprised by the redhead’s actions. He couldn’t remember the last time someone touched him like this, and so, he welcomed Akashi’s embrace. “I missed you so much, Akashi-kun.”

“I’m sorry, Tetsuya,” His grip tightened on the bluenette.

“It isn’t like Akashi-kun to say sorry,” Kuroko teased. They stood in each other's arms for a long while until Kuroko slightly pushed against Akashi, ending their embrace. “Akashi-kun…”

“Tetsuya!”

In a split second, Kuroko had become transparent. His body was flickering from see-through to normal, almost like a broken tv screen. Kuroko looked at his hand before giving a sympathetic smile to Akashi. He was not in the least oblivious to the sudden change nor was he surprised as to the reason. All things had to end one day, and it seems today was his day.

All Akashi could register was the lump in his throat, the chills in his spine, and the denseness in his chest. It was if someone had placed the world on his shoulders and kicked his stomach to his knees.

Kuroko’s mouth moved, but instead of hearing it out loud, his voice echoed within Akashi’s head.

_I’m sorry Akashi-kun. It seems I can’t stay that much longer._

“Wait! Please wait,” Akashi took a step forward as he pleaded.

_Akashi-kun?_

“I’m sorry… about everything that I’ve done to you,” Akashi paused for a moment before continuing. “You’ve done so much for me, yet I never realized back then. I didn’t know how hard you were trying to save me, to save us. I didn’t know how much you had to go through... how much you suffered because of us…”

Kuroko’s eyes widened in surprise before he walked up to the redhead.

_Please don’t blame yourself anymore, Akashi-kun. I forgave you all a long time ago._

“Tetsuya… there was one thing that I never told you back then but should have...”

Before Kuroko could think or speak, Akashi held him in a longing embrace, and not long after, he gave the bluenette a chaste kiss. It was soft and tasted like vanilla. The kiss ended shortly as they both pulled away slowly.

“I love you, Tetsuya... I always have...”

Kuroko had a pained expression, smiling as his tears fell freely.

_You know, you’re really cruel Akashi-kun… Just when I was finally able to accept my fate, you do this…_

By now, Kuroko had become almost transparent, his appearance no longer strong enough to make him appear human. Tiny blue flower petals were being blown away as parts of him started to fade.

_I guess… it’s time for me to go, isn’t it?_

Wiping his tears dry, Kuroko gave Akashi his final smile. It wasn’t sad at all. On the contrary, it expressed all of his gratitude and love.

_Akashi-kun… Thank you. You gave me so much and if it weren’t for you, I would have never been the person I am now._

Leaning forward, Kuroko gave Akashi one last chaste kiss before saying his goodbye.

_I love you too, Akashi-kun…… Goodbye._

And with his last words, the phantom disintegrated in flower petals, leaving behind a red haired man silently crying alone in an empty home.

**Author's Note:**

> Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadotoshi, I only own the plot. The photos I used belong to their respective owners. These are the pictures that I used:
> 
> *1: http://static3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121205135944/kurokonobasuke/images/4/4d/Teiko_Middle_team.png  
> *2: http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/laddypan/38542224/80596/80596_original.jpg  
> *3: http://hd.wallpaperswide.com/thumbs/kuroko_no_basuke___teiko_the_generation_of_miracles-t2.jpg  
> *4: http://www.zerochan.net/1576706  
> *5: http://www.animeout.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Teikou.Middle.School.full_.1276234.jpg


End file.
